Well, I finally did it. After being a console gamer my whole life I finally bought a PC in my 30s. Seeing how these waters are a bit uncharted for me, I'm hunting for suggestions on good PC games to get into. I am open to any suggestions, from free games on Steam to big titles! Your input is much appreciated!Furthermore, I was hoping maybe to get some beginner tips on where I can get games. Where do you guys get PC games from? I know Steam isn't the only trustworthy vessel out there.

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Climhazzard is the timeless evil robot who runs some of the cool stuff at CoN (mostly logging chat, since there are no quizzes at the moment), all the while watching and waiting for his moment to take over the world. -Tiddles

Steam indeed is also great, and their selection is consistently extensive, though quantity vs. quality is a big issue. It's like they'll list anything.

As bad of a reputation as it has, Doom is still for sale on Steam, and the way FPS's have gone, something about machinegunning zombies and demons to death on a moon of Mars is strangely goofy and innocuous by comparison (See SpecOps: The Line for the current state of FPS storylines I'm comparing it to). Cave Story is an excellent little Metroidy adventure with a cleverly executed storyline. Legend of Heroes is a decent rpg, as is I Am Setsuna, an SE offering, but it can be a little slight compared to other games they have done. Something about it is so muted. All piano music, eternal wintertime environment...but there's something charming about it too.

Secret of Mana is coming to PC through Steam as a 3-D remake with voice acting. This is not even close to being done in development yet, but it's coming out, the trailer's been released and there's English voice work on it. I am happy as a clam about it, myself.

Well, I finally did it. After being a console gamer my whole life I finally bought a PC in my 30s. Seeing how these waters are a bit uncharted for me, I'm hunting for suggestions on good PC games to get into. I am open to any suggestions, from free games on Steam to big titles! Your input is much appreciated!Furthermore, I was hoping maybe to get some beginner tips on where I can get games. Where do you guys get PC games from? I know Steam isn't the only trustworthy vessel out there.

Well, for starters, the game you're from is on PC. (I mean FFVII. Yeah, bad joke.) Been on PC for years, actually, though recently got some minor updates and is sold on Steam, directly by Squenix on their site, and on Humble Store, as a Steam key. That said it's actually a relatively old version, basically just a port of the PS1 version; dunno about the fate of the remake.

(If you're curious what DRM is -- it's basically copy protection. Early DRM schemes were simple, like needing a CD key code having to find something in the enclosed instruction book, but as the internet became more of a thing, efforts to combat software piracy were ramped up greatly, with some games having a limited number of activations while others required a constant internet connection, and sometimes legit copies would be a hassle to play as a result...leading to a movement on the part of some consumers (and even some publishers/developers) to be friendly to DRM-free games or the use/design of "lighter" DRM schemes.)

I'll answer the second question first. Probably the three biggest sellers of PC games these days are:

Steam - definitely the biggest by market share and by selection. They basically established the digital distribution client model, where you download a special program from them that downloads and updates your games for you (and of course, checks that you're actually allowed to play the game), and also has various social features integrated. Has Steam DRM for most games, meaning they don't work (or at least don't work right) without Steam running (though some games are DRM-free). Run by Valve, the company that made Half-Life, Portal, and Team Fortress 2.

GOG.com - formerly known as "Good Old Games" since they used to specialize in updating older games to work on modern computers, but in recent years they expanded to include newer games. From the folks who made the Witcher games. Their catalogue is much smaller than Steam's, though one of their main selling points is that it is entirely DRM-free: you can always just directly download an installer, take it out to space, and it'll work fine. They also offer an optional client program which helps organize downloads and updates, though they also let you do things like roll back updates (which Steam doesn't do). Their social features are not as rich as Steam's though, but YMMV regarding this.

Humble - they started as a thing called "Humble Bundle", where they pioneered the idea of bundling several games and offering "pay what you want" for all of them together. The idea was a hit, and led to subsequent "bundles". Later they started offering their own store selling games individually as well, plus some other features (e.g. Humble Monthly which is a subscription that sends you a couple nice indie games every month or something like that). Generally, the games they sell are either DRM-free direct downloads (for whatever reason they also often have a torrenting option for downloading them), and/or "Steam keys", which are key codes you can enter into Steam to get the game registered to your Steam account and it'll be like you bought it on Steam (with some minor differences, e.g. no refunds). They're one of the legitimate sellers of Steam keys, getting them directly from the devs/publishers.

There are some other sites like GamersGate (with an 's', not to be confused with a certain flamewar), which sells a variety of games; Bundle Stars, another bundle site; Groupees, yet another bundle site; and itch.io, which has a wide variety of indie games (including many free ones). (There are also illegitimate key resellers who try to sell keys from other sources, e.g. review copies or ones bought with stolen credit cards. Yes, Steam is this dominant that scammers can make money like this.)

Anyway, good PC games are...many and varied. What kinds of games do you like?

As far as JRPGs go, since this is a Final Fantasy forum, I can certainly recommend:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - a turn-based JRPG that's famous for its incredibly detailed setting and well-written script. Released on PC in 2004 (though its first English release was on PSP), it's been noticeably updated for modern machines and is well-maintained for consistency and compatibility by the hard-working folks at XSEED, especially programmer Sara. (GOG, Humble Store (DRM-free + Steam key), Steam) It's the first game in a trilogy, and all three are available on PC from the same stores, alongside another game in the Legend of Heroes universe, Trails of Cold Steel.

Recettear: an Item Shop's Tale - the first "doujin" (Japanese indie) PC game to get onto Steam. Released in 2007 in Japan and 2010 worldwide in English, it was a big success and paved the way for Steam (which back then was really conservative on what games it'd bring on board) to bring on more localized Japanese indie games. Business management sim + action dungeon crawler. (GOG, Steam)

Ys series - a flagship action RPG series from the makers of Trails in the Sky. Famous for being difficult but fair, as well as having a stunning musical soundtrack. On a variety of platforms, but as far as their PC offerings go, I suggest starting with Ys: the Oath in Felghana (it's a solid, well-polished game that's where I started), Ys I (the oldest game, not counting remakes), or Ys Origin (probably the best). (The latest release, Ys VIII, had its PS4 version riddled with poor translation done by a different localizer, but they're reportedly fixing it right now in advance of the PC release.) (GOG, Humble Store (DRM-free + Steam key), Steam)

Tales of Symphonia - you've probably already heard of this game. The PC version, apparently based on the PS2 version but taking elements from the GC version, reportedly launched with some problems but then they got ironed out and AFAIK it has worked out nicely. (Steam) Tales of Zestiria and Tales of Berseria are also on Steam but I don't know as much about them.

There are also a bunch of others, such as the Neptunia games, two Disgaea games, Phantom Brave, two Atelier games, Nights of Azure, and others, as well as indie JRPGs like Fortune Summoners, Chantelise (Recettear's predecessor), Pier Solar (yes, that indie Genesis game), Undertale, Rime Berta, The Sacred Tears TRUE, 99 Spirits, Cosmic Star Heroine, and many others. Some are also available on GOG (Cosmic Star Heroine, Undertale, Chantelise, Pier Solar, anything by Idea Factory/Compile Heart such as the Neptunia games, etc.).

Steam also currently has...actually surprisingly much of the Final Fantasy series, after having none of it just a few years ago. I'm not sure how good these implementations are since I've played none of them yet, but it's still worth knowing they're there:

Final Fantasy III (the DS version)

Final Fantasy IV (the DS version? I think)

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

Final Fantasy V (the iOS version)

Final Fantasy VI (the iOS version)

Final Fantasy VII (slightly-updated version of the 90s PC version)

Final Fantasy VIII (90s PC version, also slightly updated?)

Final Fantasy IX (partly-remastered version?)

Final Fantasy X and X-2 (remastered version; contains both games)

Final Fantasy XI

Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII-2

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIV

Final Fantasy XV (coming soon)

Final Fantasy Type-0 (HD version)

Mobius Final Fantasy (apparently in glorious 4K resolution and 60fps)

There's also two DQ games (Dragon Quest Heroes II, Dragon Quest Heroes Slime Edition), some other Squenix-developed games (The Last Remnant, Yosumin!, Gyromancer, and the coming-soon Secret of Mana PC remake), other stuff that they publish mainly due to owning Eidos (e.g. Tomb Raider and Lara Croft games, Hitman games, etc.), and some other stuff (Murdered: Soul Suspect, Nier: Automata, Supreme Commander 2, Tokyo Dark, etc.).

Many Japanese publishers are generally rather averse to piracy (probably due to having a relatively stiff customer base in Japan, based on what I've heard), and Squenix is no exception; their games seem to be pretty much only on Steam, and as Steam keys via Humble Store. I've seen their stuff be available for purchase directly from Squenix store, and it used to come with SecuROM DRM, but I checked it just now and they simply sell you a Steam key nowadays.

This post has been edited by Glenn Magus Harvey on 23rd October 2017 22:14

First of all, I second GMH's Ys series suggestion, at least Oath in Felghana and Origin, anyway. Both have simple, fast-paced gameplay that I found challenging, but fun, and as GMH said, they both have excellent soundtracks.

As for my own suggestions:

The Baldur's Gate series (Baldur's Gate, it's expansion Tales of the Sword Coast, Baldur's Gate 2, and it's expansion Throne of Bhaal), all of which are based on Advanced DnD, remains near and dear to my heart. We're talkin' classic BioWare goodness, here! The vast library of mods has also helped to keep this series (at least somewhat) fresh for me after all these years. Enhanced Editions of these games were also released fairly recently, as well, and they seem to be generally well-regarded.

The Icewind Dale Series (also based on ADnD, and later DnD 3rd ED.) isn't bad, either. Although it uses an altered version of the Infinity Engine originally developed for the Baldur's Gate series, IWD was made by a different developer, Black Isle Studios. IWD is also more hack-n-slashy than BG.

The Heroes of Might and Magic series of fantasy strategy games is also a favorite, although I'm only really familiar with 2 and 3. HoMM3 still seems to be regarded as the best in the series though, and it's definitely one of my fave games of all time.

As for something more recent, I believe Pillars of Eternity is also worth checking out. Many of the same people who developed the IWD series (as well as KotOR2 and Fallout New Vegas) also were behind PoE, and in fact, they meant it to be a spiritual successor to the BG and IWD series. I've had quite a good time with it, so far.